"We need help, but not cuts," says Katie B. of Shelton, a mother in a television ad who is concerned about the level of care her son, Jaxon, will receive.

"I'm afraid that we're going to lose the nurses and doctors that are so familiar with Jaxon and that terrifies me," she says.

Malloy has defended the cuts, and pointed out that all but three of the state's 28 hospitals made money in 2014, with the hospitals earning a combined profit of $916 million.

"With a billion dollars in profit in our hospital systems and executive compensation in the tens of millions of dollars annually, perhaps the focus should be on driving down the cost of care for all of us? Or being efficient with the services offered?" Malloy spokesman Devon Puglia said in September.

Michele Sharp, vice president of communications for the hospital associaiton, said the ad campaign, which began on Nov. 4, has no specific end date.

"This is a large campaign, but we feel we need to," she said. "We have to, it's for our patients."

Hospitals were told that they would get the money from the tax back, plus some extra federal funds, but more and more of the money has ended up in the general fund, said Stephen Frayne, a senior vice president for health care policy at the hospital association.